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No Kings Rallies Critical of President Trump Take Place in Cities Across U.S.; Republicans Characterize No Kings Rallies as Anti- American; Senator Bernie Sanders Gives Speech at No Kings Rally in Washington, D.C.; Reporting Indicates Trump Administration Considering Releasing Survivors of U.S. Strike on Alleged Drug Boat in Caribbean; President Trump Commutes Sentence of Former Congressman George Santos Who was Convicted of Fraud and Money Laundering; Los Angeles Dodgers to Meet Winner of Seattle Mariners and Toronto Blue Jays Playoff Series in Major League Baseball World Series. Aired 2-3p ET.

Aired October 18, 2025 - 14:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[14:00:00]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: -- Shalhoub, Breaking Bread" premiers tomorrow at 9:00 p.m. eastern and pacific right here on CNN.

Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

All right, a day of No Kings rallies protesting President Trump's policies. All of that underway right now across the country. Live pictures right now of Boston where a very sizable turnout already seems to be growing by the minute. Protests, in fact, are taking place in all 50 states. More than 2,500 demonstrations have been planned in various locations. It may be the largest organized protest since President Trump returned to office.

We've got team coverage across the country. Let's get started by checking in on some protests out west in Los Angeles with the Julia Vargas Jones. Julia, what are you seeing?

JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Fred. This is just getting started here. People are starting to trickle in. This is downtown Los Angeles just across from City Hall. So far it is very much an atmosphere of almost a carnival. There's people in costumes. There's a lot of flags and witty signs around here. We have heard from folks, chatting with some of them. A lot of people are just angry for so many reasons at President Trump. The main one here in Los Angeles is the presence of immigration agents. We're seeing so many no ICE anti-immigration signs. And people saying they're pissed off about the presence of the National Guard in so many different cities across the United States. They're saying that this is a very clear message to President Trump that they believe this is -- our country's going towards an authoritarian regime, and they want an end to it now.

Now, organizers are expecting up to 100,000 people to show up here. We're seeing a fraction of that number as of now. They're expected to kick off at around 2:00 p.m. local time, around 5:00 p.m. eastern time, and then march through the city for about two miles. We'll keep you posted on how that goes as more and more people arrive here, Fred. WHITFIELD: All right, Julia Vargas Jones, we'll check back with you

as the crowd continues to grow there as it has been in Atlanta, where we find Rafael Romo. Rafael, what are you seeing there?

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN SENIOR LATIN AMERICAN AFFAIRS EDITOR: Hi, Fred. Well, the march has come to an end here at the steps of the Georgia state capital. You can see the golden dome behind me. And let me tell you, Fred, it was thousands upon thousands of people that marched all the way from the Atlanta Civic Center to this location. When they got here, the bells of the Central Presbyterian Church just to my right greeted the crowds arriving here.

The weather really cooperated because the temperature wasn't too hot. It was mostly cloudy most of the time. And as you can see behind me, there are still people there gathering, chanting. What we have heard for the last few hours. No kings, they said. America hasn't had a king since it was founded in 1776, and we want to keep it that way.

Now, before the march, there was a rally at the Atlantic Civic Center, where we heard a number of speakers addressed the crowd. One of those was Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock. I had an opportunity to talk to him after he addressed the crowd, and this is what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. RAPHAEL WARNOCK (D-GA): This moment in which we are seeing a president and an administration arrogating to himself power that doesn't belong to him. Our message is very clear. This is not about the people in power. It's about the power in the people. And I think that a big part of what the Trump administration is trying to do is weaponize this space, so intimidate and bully people that they won't stand up. He's getting his answer today.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: And Fred, let me tell you, at one point there were questions as to whether the city of Atlanta was going to allow the rally and the march to proceed. The city earlier today issued a statement saying that, yes, it was allowed. They had a -- they gave the organizers a permit. As a matter of fact, we saw police officers escorting the crowds all the way from the Civic Center to this location, providing security, helping people, blocking streets so that everybody was able to walk safely.

And as far as we have seen this protest, this rally and march has been held in a very peaceful way, very orderly way. We have seen a lot of medics also, a lot of legal experts from the ACLU, other organizations participating, as well as clergy from around the Atlanta area and the state of Georgia. Fred, now back to you.

[14:05:01]

WHITFIELD: All right, Rafael Romo in Atlanta, thanks so much.

All right, with me now to talk more about these No king rallies is Skye Perryman. She is the president of Democracy Forward. Skye, great to see you.

SKYE PERRYMAN, PRESIDENT, DEMOCRACY FORWARD: Great to see you.

WHITFIELD: So your organization helped plan some of today's No Kings protests. We're hearing, what, something like 2,500 locations across the country where simultaneously people are contesting the Trump administration's policies and agenda. What are you hoping the resonating message is?

PERRYMAN: I think you see it out, you see it across the country, that Americans are saying enough is enough. And these are folks that are all definitely from each other. Small towns, big cities, we're seeing people everywhere, all with different backgrounds, saying, we may not agree on everything, but we agree that in this country there is no king. The government is supposed to work for the people. The people are supreme. And we've seen enough of the constitutional rights violations, the terror, the fear that communities are having.

So it is, I think, a really inspirational day to see so ,any people coming together in this time peacefully, protesting joyfully across the country.

WHITFIELD: Meantime, there does seem to be a consensus about what these rallies represent if you listen to a number of Republicans. Take a listen to some who are elected officials.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MIKE JOHNSON, (R-LA) HOUSE SPEAKER: Hate America rally.

REP. STEVE SCALISE, (R-LA) HOUSE MAJORITY LEADER: Hate America rally.

JOHNSON: Hate America rally.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We call it the hate America rally.

SCOTT BESSENT, TREASURY SECRETARY: The farthest left, the hardest core, the most unhinged in the Democratic Party.

SEN. ROGER MARSHALL, (R-KS): This will be a Soros paid for protest where his professional protesters show up.

JOHNSON: It's all the pro-Hamas wing and the, you know, the Antifa people. They're all coming out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: It doesn't sound like they're going to be persuaded about what your purpose is. What's your response to the critics who say this is very, very un-American?

PERRYMAN: There is nothing more American than peacefully making your voice heard, using your First Amendment rights, and saying No Kings. That's how this country even got started. And so to the naysayers, I say, I think the peoples voices are showing out. In our neighborhood protests this morning, there were grandmothers and school teachers and all kinds of community members. These are people that love America. And they love the people of America, and want our government and our President to serve the people, which is, of course, what's more American than that?

WHITFIELD: Your organization has helped file several lawsuits against President Trump's moves to rapidly downsize federal agencies. How does this movement or these, you know, collections of protests, you think help assist in your fight?

PERRYMAN: Yes, you know, we've been filing lawsuits, really, to protect the American people. And that includes having a government where the people that are working for that government are loyal to the Constitution and to the American people, and not any particular political agenda. The president has been trying to cut those civil servants out of our government, because he only wants people that are loyal to him. That's unlike any Republican or Democratic president in the past.

And so this movement, I think, shows you that it's not just in courtrooms where we are winning. And by the way, we won another court order against the president last night to protect our public servants during this shutdown. But it is also in communities. So it is from courtrooms to communities. The president is losing support because he's not governing for people. And I think you hear the American people loud and clear saying in this country, the people are supreme. There is no king. And it is time for this president and this administration to get back to work, doing the work of the people.

WHITFIELD: Speaking of supreme, the U.S. Supreme Court is back in session with a momentous term underway dealing with significant cases that could test the power of Donald Trump's presidency. What are your expectations?

PERRYMAN: Well, I think you're going to see, like you said, this is a significant term, every term is significant. We've seen this Supreme Court, the majority of justices we have seen make decisions that they're not even explaining to the American people in some ways, allowing the administration to proceed with some of its policies.

But what we're seeing across the board in the hundreds of courts across the country is this administration is losing. And a number of those cases aren't going to the Supreme Court. And even when you get to the Supreme Court, the Supreme Court, in many instances, has not said that what this president is doing is lawful. They have paused some of the court orders that have been won, but those are going to have to be heard on the merits.

And so I think that, you know, this is, it's really about the people making their voices heard, protecting their rights. We're going to make sure people have lawyers to show up in court. And we all have to do our part in this moment.

[14:10:03]

WHITFIELD: All right, Skye Perryman, president of Democracy Forward, thanks so much. PERRYMAN: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right, we're staying on top of this breaking news. Protests underway right now in major cities. We've got live coverage with reporters across the nation. We'll bring you the very latest.

Plus, quote, "Stop the war immediately," end quote. President Donald Trump calling on Ukraine and Russia to stop fighting after denying Ukraine some sought after weapons.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:15:12]

WHITFIELD: All right, welcome back. Live pictures right now. It looks like an SOS message. This is at a No King rally in San Francisco. The message being carved out by the many people showing up to protest. If once they pull out, maybe we can see the entire message. And you see, "No Kings" right there.

All right, we're also watching from coast to coast rallies that are taking place. There are some 2,500 gatherings taking place today for No Kings. You're looking at the nation's capital right now, and there is Senator Bernie Sanders. Let's listen in.

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS, (I-VT): That guarantees that never again will American taxpayer dollars be used to starve children in Gaza or any place else.

(CHEERING)

SANDERS: And now let me, let me raise a question that I have been asked over and over again. You know, Bernie, great ideas. But how are you going to pay for them? Great question. Thanks for asking. And here is the answer. At a time when the wealthiest people in America have never, ever had it so good, at a time when billionaires are paying an effective tax rate lower than a truck driver or a nurse, yes, the top one percent and large profitable corporations will pay their fair share in taxes.

(CHEERING)

SANDERS: My fellow Americans, the establishment, including the corporate media and many of my colleagues in Congress, want you to believe that you are powerless. They want you to believe that you cannot change the status quo. But that is a lie. Throughout the history of our country, when Americans have stood up and fought for justice, they have prevailed.

WHITFIELD: All right, just a sample of the messaging coming from the No Kings rallies, this one in the nation's capital, Washington, D.C., there, and senator Bernie Sanders.

Another message separately, stop the war immediately. That coming from the president of the United States yesterday. That's his latest stance on the war in Ukraine after an hours long meeting yesterday with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy. That meeting, according to CNN sources, is being described as a tense and at times uncomfortable meeting as Zelenskyy pressed for new weapons like tomahawk missiles to fight Russia. Trump is rejecting that request for now, saying the priority should be diplomacy.

And we're just learning that the U.S. is considering releasing the survivors of its strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean that was targeted. They're considering releasing them to their home countries. The two people are in military custody after surviving that strike this week. It was the sixth strike targeting suspected drug traffickers in waters near Venezuela. And it's the latest development in the increasingly tense relationship between the Trump administration and Venezuela's Maduro regime. Earlier this week, President Trump confirmed that he authorized the CIA to conduct covert action in Venezuela.

With us now is Cynthia Arnson. She is an adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. Great to see you. So what's your reaction to this reporting that the two who had been taken into custody after that strike are now going to be released to their countries?

CYNTHIA ARNSON, ADJUNCT PROFESSOR, JOHNS HOPKINS SCHOOL OF ADVANCED INTERVIEW STUDIES: Well, there have been lots of questions since these strikes on the small craft began. The Trump administration, of course, claiming that they were transporting drugs and just blew them literally out of the water. And now that there's some indication that people will be returned to their home countries, there's an indication that maybe they weren't drug traffickers. Maybe they were just fishermen, perhaps they were migrants. But this idea that you kill people first and then ask questions later, I think, has been really controversial, has led to all sorts of questioning of whether or not the Trump administration is violating not only domestic law, but international law in staging these strikes in contrast to the way this has always been done by the Coast Guard when there are vessels that are suspected of trafficking drugs.

[14:20:17]

WHITFIELD: Again, a lot of facts have not been released as it pertains to the strike. So how problematic is this, potentially? What are your concerns?

ARNSON: Well, my concerns, again, are that they are they are claimed to be drug trafficking boats, but there are procedures that have been in place for decades as to how U.S. law enforcement, particularly the Coast Guard, but also backed up by the U.S. Navy, have handled these kinds of situations, where there are warnings, where the boat is stopped, where people on board are arrested, where they are interrogated, prosecuted, whatever, and the drugs are seized. That's been going on literally for decades.

So the idea that, you know, you just have this show of force claiming that they are drug trafficking boats, I think is very, very problematic. The major -- well, another major issue is that if the goal is to stop drugs from coming into the United States, and of course, we all support that goal, fentanyl, which is killing tens of thousands of Americans, is trafficked for the U.S. southern border, not in the Caribbean, where these ships are being blown up. The majority of cocaine entering the United States comes through the pacific coast, not the Caribbean.

So even if there are drug boats, there are better ways to do this, and there are more important drug routes to be focusing on. So there's a lot of questions as to whether or not the justification, which is as an anti-narcotics operation, is really the goal, the principal goal of the U.S. government.

WHITFIELD: Still a lot of questions as you underscore there. Is it your expectation or hope that those many questions will actually be answered, or will the administration be successful in being able to evade answering those questions?

ARNSON: I suspect that they will not answer the questions. There have been many calls, by Democrats on Capitol Hill for an accounting. There have been mostly justifications and pushback by the Trump administration. The main question is whether there is any evidence that the administration can release that shows that these, in fact, are drug trafficking boats.

But again, this is in the context of much broader U.S. military pressure. A CIA finding that even President Trump acknowledged to start covert action within Venezuela. The goal, I think, is really regime change in Venezuela. And, you know, I think people, small-d democrats around the world, around the hemisphere would certainly celebrate the end of the government of Nicolas Maduro, which is repressive, which is involved in international organized crime. That would be a good thing.

How that's to take place, what the plan is for the day after, who provides security in the aftermath of this? Will the Venezuelan forces stand behind Maduro or will they dissipate? These are all questions, and we don't really have good answers.

WHITFIELD: President Trump said Maduro has been trying to strike a deal with the U.S. This is how President Trump put it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, (R) U.S. PRESIDENT: He has offered everything. He's offered everything. You're right. You know why? Because he doesn't want to -- around with the United States.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: How might this advance a deal? What do you -- do you think the president's comments are a prelude to something concrete?

ARNSON: Well, I think that there's every indication, given the number of destroyers and warships and nuclear submarines and attack helicopters that have been gathered in the Caribbean, the finding, the statement that we are at war with these cartels, I mean, it all seems to be the lead-in to some kind of military action within Venezuela. Again, what that leads to, I think, is really questionable. And as I

say, there is no doubt that Nicolas Maduro is an illegitimate ruler. He is a repressive, anti-democratic leader who stole, massively stole, a free, or a democratic election a year ago. The question about, you know, do you support or not support Maduro out of power? That's not the question. The question is how that's done, what your assumptions are about what happens on the ground, whether the Colombian ELN guerrillas that are massively present in Venezuela join the fight against whatever U.S. soldiers are on the ground or staging these strikes.

[14:25:10]

I mean, these are really, really important questions that that have not been answered. And I'm not sure they've been really thought through.

And as to making a deal, I mean, there were really two tracks within the administration. Ric Grenell was negotiating with the Maduro government, and there was this sense that Maduro wanted to grant access to U.S. companies, possibly to the U.S. government, to its vast oil resources, to its mining resources, trying to prevent these kinds of military actions that might kill him, that might be aimed at taking him out.

WHITFIELD: Very fascinating. Cynthia Arnson, thank you so much. Appreciate your expertise.

ARNSON: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right, we're, of course, also staying on top of this breaking news. Protests underway right now in major cities across the country. Live coverage with reporters across the nation. We'll bring you the very latest.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:30:33]

WHITFIELD: All right, welcome back. We're looking at pretty sizable crowds as the No Kings rallies sweep across the country. This is a live look right now at a protest in Minnesota's twin cities. Many people chanting, marching to express their opposition of Trump administration policies. Some in a variety of cities are actually showing up in costumes to emphasize that they are nonviolent. While the president and GOP leaders have dismissed the demonstrations, some have even called them "Hate America rallies."

CNN's Shimon Prokupecz is in New York City. CNN's Brian Todd is in the nation's capital of Washington, D.C. So let's get to Shimon first. What's happening?

SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: So it's about three-and-a-half hours since the march here in New York City started. And we have finally seen the end here of the march, the last -- really just it's been thousands of people who have turned out and have marched for over 20 blocks. And now, three-and-a-half hours later, we have seen the end. And this is the NYPD here signifying that they're going to be reopening the street here.

But it was really quite something to see here today. Much of -- it felt that much of this march was led by women. The turnout by women was just so remarkable. We saw people in costumes, and of course, many, many signs. I'm going to have Epi (ph) turn around here so he doesn't keep walking backwards here. But you can just see, these are some of the people who participated. A lot of people in costumes. Of course, all of this started in Portland, where protesters started coming out in costumes after an individual, a man who was dressed in a in a frog suit there was pepper sprayed by federal officers. That started a movement, and we've been seeing a lot of that today.

You can see there's another person here in a unicorn costume. Certainly not Halloween, but definitely people out here trying to express themselves, show that they're not violent, make a point, a point that this is not about violence.

I saw a lot of families out here, kids with their parents, sort of here to express themselves. Also, you know, a woman that I spoke to who was who was 76 years old and said she was out here in the 60s, and again wanting to do this, wanting to participate in this march because she felt she does not want history to repeat itself. And she's very worried about so much of what she's seeing.

So this has been going on out here now for over three-and-a-half hours. The NYPD has allowed the marchers to continue here. They were supposed to stop at that corner I was just showing you. But they have all continued and they're going into a park here, Union Square Park, where many of them have been gathering, and it's just about to come to an end here. But most of the people are just hanging out at this point.

And the other thing that I think what's been very interesting out here, people have been smiling a lot. It's been a moment for them to be together, to express themselves together and to feel like they are making a difference. And many, many people I spoke to talked about that here today, trying to enjoy a moment together despite all their worries and concerns with what's going on.

WHITFIELD: All right, Shimon Prokupecz from New York City to Washington, D.C. The turnout has been pretty sizable.

Let's check in now with Brian Todd there in the nation's capital. What's happening?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, this program of speakers just ended a short time ago. I can tell you that the crowd is thinning out here. People have started to leave. But, boy, it was jampacked here just a few minutes ago when the program of speakers was still going on. You had Senator Bernie Sanders, who just wrapped up to a rousing round of applause. Senator Chris Murphy spoke. Bill Nye the Science Guy spoke.

And again, the crowds are thinned, but they're not gone yet. I mean, there was just tens of thousands of people packed into a relatively small space here on Pennsylvania Avenue, and they were pressing forward as they arrived, really to really pack into a very, very tight space with, you know, just with a lot of signs, a lot of outfits.

Look, you can see over here, there's a lot of inflatable outfits that are really colorful and kind of just sending different messages here, just a lot of really interesting signs.

[14:35:00]

And our photojournalist Rafael (ph) and I will turn here. We've got a government employee who is furloughed. His name is James Kirwan. He is here to talk to us now. He's right here. James, thanks for joining us. You and I just spoke a short time ago. All right, you're furloughed. I want to get your motivation first for coming out for this event, and then I'm going to talk to you about what it's like to be furloughed. But what was motivating you to come out here today, James?

JAMES KIRWAN, FURLOUGHED FEDERAL EMPLOYEE: Definitely. Thank you so much for having me. My name is James Kirwan, federal employee, speaking in a personal capacity as a concerned citizen and federal worker. So the reason why I'm here today is because enough is enough. Health care tax credits are about to expire. That's going to result in skyrocketing health care costs for tens of millions of Americans starting November 1st. We can't let that happen.

I'm also here because I'm a federal worker who is concerned about all of the destruction, the devastation we've seen to our federal programs over the last nine months. One eighth of the federal workforce is now gone, has been cut. Agencies have been forcibly closed, like USAID, the Interagency Council on Homelessness, and last month, there was a threat to cut another 30,000 staff at the V.A., which, of course would harm critical care for our veterans who so desperately deserve health care.

TODD: Well, tell me what it's like for you to have been furloughed. It's been tough.

KIRWAN: It has been tough. I'm a federal worker because I want to be a federal worker. I want to be working. I want to be serving the public. And of course, federal workers want to be receiving paychecks. We don't want to have to rely on loans and credit card debt just to make ends meet. But at the same time, I'm here, as are thousands of other federal workers, because we want Congress to hold the line and we want them to pass a budget that will protect federal workers, protect federal programs, and protect health care for tens of millions of Americans.

TODD: Are you concerned about possible retaliation? You're still with the National Labor Relations Board as an employee. Are you concerned about potential retaliation? You're part of a union as well. Retaliation for coming here for talking to us, for just being part of all of this?

KIRWAN: I am. If I'm being honest, I've already had friends that have received discipline. I've even had a friend who was a public whistleblower, front page of "The New York Times," and was fired exactly a week later after he followed every procedure in the book to make sure he was correctly whistleblowing about the destruction and devastation at the Fair Housing Unit of HUD.

And so, of course, I'm concerned. I'm concerned that I could be retaliated against, that I could be fired, that any number of things could happen to me. But we can't let that silence us. We have to be willing to speak. We have to be willing to stand up when we see harm is occurring. That's what it means to be a good citizen. That's what it means to be a good person.

TODD: James, thank you very much for talking to us. We really appreciate you taking the time.

And you got a sense there, guys, of just, you know, the risk that some of these people are taking for speaking to us and coming down to rallies like this. James just gave us a very good illustration of that.

WHITFIELD: Yes, and he gave a list of reasons as to why it is worth the risk, in his view.

All right, Shimon Prokupecz and Brian Todd, thanks to both of you, appreciate it.

All right, he could soon be playing football for the NFL, but at one point he didn't speak English or he didn't know anything about the game. Coming up, the inspiring story of a college athlete who learned how to kick by watching YouTube videos.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:42:51]

WHITFIELD: All right, welcome back. We continue to take you to No Kings rallies across the country today. Right now, live pictures out of the nation's capital where people are wrapping up a pretty active day of speakers and marchers right there along the Smithsonian, just in the shadow of the U.S. Capitol there. We're also continuing to monitor gatherings that are taking place in other parts of the country. We'll take you to some of them live.

All right, disgraced former congressman George Santos is now a free man after President Trump commuted his sentence last night. Santos served in the House for less than a year before he was expelled from Congress in 2023. He was charged with an array of federal crimes, including fraud, theft, and money laundering. Santos lobbied hard for clemency. The president says he commuted Santos's seven-year sentence because the lies he told were not as bad as the ones allegedly told by Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal, according to the president. Let's listen in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, (R) U.S. PRESIDENT: We have a young congressman that's right now in jail for lying about where he went to college and other things. It was, you know, frankly, not good. It was pretty bad, but it was nothing compared to Blumenthal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: In commuting the sentence. The president also cited Santos consistently voting for Republican candidates. More now from CNN's senior White House correspondent Kristen Holmes.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: On his way to Palm Beach, President Trump announced that he had commuted the sentence of disgraced Republican Congressman George Santos, who had been serving seven years in a federal prison after pleading guilty to both identity fraud and theft.

Now, this commutation is somewhat interesting and surprising given the fact that President Trump has been in office now for roughly nine plus months, and he's been lobbied hard by Santos, but as well as some other Trump allies, to give Santos a pardon or at least commute his sentence. He showed no interest in doing so until now.

What he posted on Truth Social was essentially linking this commutation to Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal, saying that Blumenthal had lied and never had to go to jail. So why should Santos have to go to jail now?

[14:45:10]

This is not the first time that President Trump has commuted the sentence or pardoned a former Republican politician. He also did so for Republican Michael Grimm, as well as a Connecticut governor, among others. But it was interesting, given the fact that President Trump had been lobbied routinely and never done it before.

Now, one interesting point, unclear at this point whether or not this played a role, but earlier this week Santos wrote an open letter to President Trump once again asking for that pardon. He posted that on his Twitter, now X page.

Kristen Holmes, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, protests across the country continue against the Trump administration. It's happening in major cities from coast to coast. We'll continue our live coverage straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:50:42]

WHITFIELD: All right, welcome back. Live pictures right now of protests that are being called the No Kings Day demonstrations. This is Chicago, one of the major cities hosting protests today. There are some 2,500 organized protests taking place across the country. And all the organizers have said this is poised to be a nonviolent movement. Let's listen in.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are the union!

CROWD: We are the union!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Chicago teachers' union!

CROWD: Chicago teachers' union

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everywhere we go!

WHITFIELD: All right, we'll continue to monitor some of the other gatherings taking place across the country today.

All right, let's talk a little sports, shall we? It is showtime once again in the World Series. The Los Angeles dodgers are headed back to the fall classic to defend their title. They completed the sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers in the NLCS. And last night in game four, Shohei Ohtani had what some are calling one of the greatest performances in playoff history. He hit three homeruns, struck out 10 batters, and got the win for the dodgers. He spoke after the game.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was really, you know, fun on both sides of the ball today. You know, really as a representative I'm taking this trophy, and let's get four more wins.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Oh my. All right, the Dodgers will take on the winner of the ALCS between the Seattle Mariners and the Toronto Blue Jays. The Mariners are leading that series three games to two. My partner here, Patrick Snell, he does a much better job telling you all about all of that. But you've got other stuff to.

PATRICK SNELL, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yes, so much going on. Shohei Ohtani again, you just can't stop him. Irresistible force, I will say, last night. The Mariners, Fred, are one victory away now from joining the Dodgers in the World Series are making some very special piece of history of their own. If they can get past Toronto, of course they're heading to the world series for the first time, a significant milestone, I will say this for a franchise that's been around since the 70s. Down to their last six outs Friday night, the Mariners battling back in game five, all while producing two of the biggest swings in the history of the franchise. A leadoff home run from Cal Raleigh there in the bottom of the eighth, was followed by an opposite field grand slam from Eugenio Suarez to lift the Mariners to a six-two win. The eighth inning heroics leaving the Mariners with two chances to win their first A.L. pennant. They'll have to do it at the Rogers Center in Toronto, though, but for now, great scenes there for them.

Now in college football, a pair of significant upsets on Friday. Miami had their backs against the wall against -- the entire night, against Louisville, and were handed their first loss of the season. Carson Beck throwing four interceptions, which was a career high for the Georgia transfer. Nebraska also had a poor showing, I will say, getting beaten on the road by unranked Minnesota. That's just a quick snapshot of a lot that's going on right now, I'll tell you. More to come as well.

WHITFIELD: And there's a lot of exciting college ball today, so I guess we'll talk about that later.

SNELL: We can and we will.

WHITFIELD: And tomorrow recap. OK.

SNELL: Absolutely.

WHITFIELD: Patrick Snell, thanks so much, appreciate it.

All right, right now hundreds of anti-Trump protests happening across the country right now. The demonstrations are taking place amid a U.S. government shutdown and a deadlocked Congress. We'll have more of these live images straight ahead as our coverage continues.

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[14:59:03]

WHITFIELD: All right, we're continuing to watch the No Kings protests today across the U.S. Right now, you're looking at live pictures out of Saint Paul, Minnesota. Now, this is the second No Kings protest this year since the president took office. The last one was in June. This second wave, so to speak, is aimed at pushing back against what protesters are calling the administration's authoritarian policies and militarization of cities.

Some Republicans have called this movement anti-American, and both President Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson claim, without evidence, that the protests are tied to the ongoing U.S. government shutdown.

So Chicago, it is now at the center of the Trump administration's immigration crackdown, and this weekend marks the first since a fence came down outside the ICE facility in Broadview, just outside of the city, outside the city. A judge ordered its removal last week, calling it a public safety hazard. More than 100 protesters gathered there yesterday to face off with police --